ICYMI Monday | The Cannibalistic Hamsters Edition

ICYMI Monday is USC Canada's weekly roundup - not that kind - of food, agriculture and policy news from here at home and around the world.

Every Monday, we serve up a selection of the news that's fit to eat, with special attention to stories related to seeds, small-scale farmers, food sovereignty and agroecology. Got a suggestion? Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Big Picture

New research says there's not enough scientific study into the effect of synthetic agricultural chemicals on global environmental change. And that "knowledge gap" around these chemicals makes it harder to protect biodiversity. | ensia

What does climate change, access to water, food security and food prices have to do with the conflict in Syria? Everything, says this article. | The Conversation

Scientists are engineering a tastier tomato (using traditional breeding techniques). | The New York Times

Now that President Trump has killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership – a free trade agreement that attempted to bring 40 per cent of the world's economy into one trading region – the time is ripe for a radical change in the food system based on the principles of food sovereignty. | Food First

Around the World

We know monoculture farming is really bad for biodiversity. But in France, it's also having an unexpected and disturbing consequence: deranged, cannibalistic wild hamsters that devour their offspring.| The Guardian

The largest food security emergency in the world right now is happening in Yemen. | Daily Times, Pakistan

This excerpt from a forthcoming book by Food First explains how smallholder farmers in Burkina Faso are using agroecology to transform their farmland, restore soil fertility and increase food production. | Food First

What's in store for the United States Department of Agriculture under the new Trump-appointed secretary of agriculture? Civil Eats spoke to a range of food policy folks in the U.S. to get their take. | Civil Eats

We’re called USC Canada because we started out way back in 1945 as the Unitarian Service Committee, founded by the energetic Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova. We’re still planting the seeds that Lotta sowed. Find out more about our founder, Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova.

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